This invention relates to a structure for positioning an array of bottles within a thermally insulating chest, and more particularly to a plate having a number of spaced holes each to engage a respective bottle not only to prevent destructive contact among adjacent bottles but also to support a charge of ice in a manner that enables melting ice water to flow along the bottles' sides to improve cooling the bottles' contents, and the like.
Thermally insulating chests for cooling bottled beverages have been on the market for a number of years. In use, the bottled beverages usually are loaded haphazardly into a chest and a charge of ice cubes, crushed ice, or the like is packed over the bottles. The cooling effect on the bottle contents is random at best in that the contents of some of the bottles, exposed directly to the ice are chilled through thermal conduction and the contents in other bottles, somewhat removed from the ice are less effectively cooled. The bottles, moreover, placed randomly within the chest frequently lay on their respective sides and thus promote leakage, particularly from bottles that have been opened and then reclosed.
As the ice melts, the motion restraining effect of the packed ice on the bottles diminishes and those bottles, especially those that have been opened and reclosed, are likely to fall on their sides and leak their contents into the chest. Consequently, any upright bottles tend to tip over onto their respective sides, the bottles also gradually becoming free to collide with one another in the course of moving the insulating chest during use. Occasionally, these collisions among the bottles will produce breakage.
This is an unsatisfactory state of affairs and a need exists for a better way to stow bottled beverages in insulating chests.